I was having such a fantastically productive morning yesterday! I got the days ornament done plus two sets of exchange ornaments, a guest post project finished, my new shop kits done and photographed, a package of goodies packed to mail to my sister, and bought wrapped a birthday present--all before 10am.

I was so proud of me, I knew my post would go up late (I had to go to the birthday party) but I'd have it up by no later than 1. And then the afternoon hit and I didn't find myself at the computer until after my girls had gone to bed!

So the bad news, I missed a day, the good news...you're getting a two-fer today!

Yesterday's ornament was fun to figure out.

Pretty, huh?

And really easier than it might look. I saw this first in a boutique for a fantastic price and instantly my "I could make that for so much less" gene kicked in.

Here's the quick version of how I did it...

Start by stuffing a paper sized (8.5x11ish) piece of either fabric or tissue paper into the ornament.

Replace the cap and wrap the ornament tightly in a layer of tulle. Tie off the tulle at the top of the ornament and run a thick bead of hot glue around it to hold it tight.

Add the bows next. I did a wide ribbon, 3 loop bow, and a two-toned narrow ribbon 4 loop bow on each side. I added the little bell to cover up my glue spots.

Next, completely dissect a silk flower...

Starting with the big ones, snip the center hole so it will fit over the hanger on the ornament.

Add some glue to the ornament top and then slide the flower into place. Continue cutting and gluing until you've added all the petals.

After you've added the last petal, slip a thin ribbon through the wire loop and tie off to form a hanger.

Last, glue the flower's center back into place and you're done!

Not to bad, right? And seriously, so pretty.

I'll be back in a bit with today's ornament and also have my new December kits to share with you, a fun little announcement, and a quick reminder...

Friday, November 25, 2011

I knew I'd be pretty much useless today due to the festivities of yesterday and the fun of shopping today so I went on the hunt for a goodie from someone else's mind. And I'm pretty excited with what I found...

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Today's ornament is a quickie cause well, I have some cooking {and eating}to do!

This is one of those things that I seriously can't believe I had to stumble across to even think of. But in my world it is brilliant!

I can't tell you the amount of money I have spent on ornaments for my girls that look so very similar to these, had I only known.

The supply list is minimal.

You really only need a kids meal toy that your kiddo can't live without and a screw-in eye hook. Pliers and a candle make it easier and the ribbon just makes it pretty.

That's it! Just think how many ornament possibilities are in your toy box right now.

Use the pliers to hold the end of the eye hook over the candle flame to warm it up, then press the hot end into the plastic toy to make your drilling point. Squeeze those pliers tight and start turning.

Once the eye hook has cooled you can finish twisting it in with your fingers.

Your little friend will look like this:

From there just add your ribbon to make a hanger and your in ornament heaven!

Your kiddos will think you're A-mazing, and they will have a ton of non-breakable ornaments that you won't care if they take off the tree and play with. It's a total win-win!

(They would also make a fun way to personalize a present. Just tie on a favorite character to the package your giving and again, you're super cool cause they just got a little bonus present!)

And hey, if you have issues like I do, you'll end up with a full series of "collector" ornaments in a matter of just a few lunches!

Then as I was figuring out what ornament to do today I got a bit sentimental when I found a fun picture of my husband's sweet grandma that we lost earlier this year and the two just came together.

I had a bunch of small wallet sized frames that I picked up at Walmart for $1 each that were the perfect sized.

I removed the glass and backing and then started wrapping. I used hemp cord from the dollar store-two packages. Then added a few paper flowers, ribbon and her initial. I stapled ribbon to the top of the frame to make the hanger and then added the picture.

I glued the picture onto a cut piece of chipboard and then just glued that back onto the frame as the glass wasn't about to go back in!

All done in about an hour. I really like it. What a fun way to share a few memories or favorite people this holiday-and bonus...it's super trendy! Wrapped anything is so popular these days.

Monday, November 21, 2011

I'm kicking off this year's series with a flashback from last year. A quick posting of the top 5 most viewed ornaments from last year...
{with a link back just in case you need the directions}

Leading the way was a two day combo.
My Yarn Snowman and Flood Light Angel:
Both of these started as a fingers-crossed, I hope this works idea. I was thrilled with both of them--can't tell you how many snowmen I ended up making...

This ornament even landed me on the pages of AllFreeHolidayCrafts.com--what a fun surprise! It's a great site for tons of free ideas and tutorials.

The third most viewed ornie from last year was a kid-favorite, the I-Spy Ornament:

This is such a great gift idea ornament. It goes together easy and because most of the items for the inside come in multi-packs you get a lot of ornaments for the $ spent.

The fourth runner-up is another super kid friendly project. My girls ask to make these every year--I feel it's purely for the "extra" marshmallows they get to eat, but it is also fun to see how the ornaments change as my girls grow...

The ideas, recipes, tutorials, and documents posted on this blog are for PERSONAL USE ONLY! I would love to have you share something you see here but please DO NOT copy posts in their entirity. Instead, post a picture or two and provide a link back to Craft Goodies. Photos on this blog are the property of Craft Goodies unless otherwise noted. Thanks for playing nicely!